Sweet Memories Read Online Free

her toes peeked out. She felt warmer already. Then she pulled on the soft, worn shirt and turned the cuffs several times to free her hands. A pair of thick wool socks completed the ensemble. She wiped a dry end of the towel across the steamy mirror, peered at her image, and stifled a snort. Definitely the Anti-Fashionista. It was a good thing no one she knew could see her now.
     

     
    When she opened the bathroom door, a faint glow drew her down the hall toward the living room. She turned off the flashlight and followed the light. When she stepped into the living room, her breath caught in her throat. A dozen lit candles flickered on the coffee table, end tables, even the windowsills. Mitch knelt in front of a crackling fire in the stone fireplace, tucking more kindling around the logs. He turned his head toward her then rose in one fluid movement.
     

     

     

     

     
    Chapter Five – A Hard Liquor Kind of Situation
     

     

     
    Mitch told himself to stop staring, but despite the heat of the growing fire in the hearth, the command froze before it could take effect. Funny, he’d thought the oversized flannel and sweatpants would lessen her effect on him.
     

     
    No luck there. Her wet hair was combed back from her face, which only managed to make her hazel eyes look deeper, larger. Between the flames of the hearth and candles, her beauty took on a luminous quality. It feathered along the high arch of her cheekbones and softened the bottom curve of her full mouth.
     
    The tightening in his chest eased into a welcome ache. It had been some time since he’d felt like this, and he didn’t know how to curb it.
     
    That wide -eyed gaze locked onto his, and his pulse picked up pace, the air going thick in his lungs. After several beats of continued silence, she blinked and looked away.
     
    “Thank you for the clothes.”
     

     
    He frowned, clearing his throat to jumpstart the stalled words. They came out rougher than he intended. “It’s not much, but you’re welcome.”
     
    She licked her lips. His traitorous stare followed the quick flick of her tongue. “This is a nice room. I imagine there’s a lot of light during the day,” she said. Turning, he looked at the wide windows aligned with the western horizon. If not   for   the   whiteout   blanketing   the   landscape   as   far   as   the   eye   could   see,   they would   be   enjoying   a   nice   sunset   right   about   now.   “This   room   is   the   reason   I purchased the house. It was a bit of an impulse, to be honest.” But he wasn’t going into   that   now.   Wiping   palms   that   were   surprisingly   damp   on   the   thighs   of   his jeans, he stepped back. “Here, sit by the fire.” He shooed Major from the foot of
     

     
    the armchair closest to the hearth. “Are you hungry?”
     

“I could use a drink,” she said, sinking onto the leather cushion. She was a tall woman, but the chair enveloped her, somehow making her look small and delicate.
     

     
    “A drink.” Yeah, he could use one of those, too. Maybe whiskey was what he needed to douse the warm, cozy fire she’d lit in him. As cold as the house was, he had no right to feel such riotous warmth. “I’ll see what I have.”
     

     
    The kitchen, separated from the living room by a high granite countertop, ran toward necessity. He used the flashlight to find his way more easily around the rustic wood cabinetry. There wasn’t much he could whip up for her besides the whiskey and a bottle of cabernet he kept around for whenever he was in the mood to cook anything nicer than microwave dinners. “Is wine okay?” he called back into the living room.
     
    “I’ll take some of that whiskey,” her voice said close behind him.
     

     
    Glancing over his shoulder, he watched her run a hand over the smooth wood face of one of the cabinets. “You sure?” he asked, holding up the bottle. “It isn’t the smooth